Phonograph record resurfacing machine



Dec. 26, 1939.

' C. T. JACQBS El AL PHONOGRAPH RECORD RESU'RFACING MACHINE Filed June 2. 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Charles T Jacobs g' 7BY Louis Z. La l-"or-esd.`

A ORNEY Dec. 26, 1939. c.1.JAcoBs :TAL

PHONOGRAPH RECORD RESURFACING MACHINE Filed June 2. 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f :fr

Patented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE PHONOGRAPH RECORD RESURFACING MACHINE Charles T. Jacobs, New Providence Township, Union County, and Louis Z. La Forest, Orange, N. J., assignors to Thomas A; Edison, Incorporated, West Orange, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey A Application June 2, 1939, Serial No. 277,012

13 Claims. (Cl. 82-1.1)

This invention relates to machines for resurfacing phonograph records, and more particularly to improvements in such machines for faciliting their use and for safeguarding the machines from such misuse as may result in damage to the machines. In some respects this invention is an improvement upon certain features, .disclosed in a copending application of Charles Huenlich, Serial No. 251,658, .filed January 19,

terlinkage means laterally dottedly shown in Fig- 1939, and entitled ,Phonograph record resurure 1; and

' curate setting of the tool and to prevent damthe machine so as both to facilitate the normal `prise a rotatable support for a record, usually facing machines, which application is connected by common ownership with the present application.

Phonograph record resurfacing machines com- Figure 4 is a fractional top plan view ofthe tool-setting means showing details of the coupling of the resurfacing tool with the interlinkage means abovementioned.

Reference being had to the figures, there will in the form of a mandrel, a. resurfacing tool settable into operative position relative to the record, and means for concurrently rotating the record support and feeding the tool along the record to cause a resurfacing, or a cutting away of a surface layer, of the record. -In a properlyA performed record-resurfacing operation a out is taken from the record of a depth just suflicient to completely obliterate the recordation onthe record and in such a manner as to obtain a highly smooth record surface. In order .to take a proper depth of cut and to obtain the degree of surface smoothness desired, a resurfacing tool of a delicate construction is employed. Careful handling' of this tool is required to insure an acchine of a form commonly used to resurface phonograph records of the type employed in dictating machines, comprising a base plate I having a left-hand upright standard 2, an intermediate upright standard 3, right-hand upright standards 4 and 5, and an upright boss 6 directly to the right of the standard 5. Pivoted to the boss 6 is an endgate 'I biased into open positionby a torsional spring 8 but normally held in closed position, as shown in Figure 1, by an endgate bolt or latch 9 pivoted as at IIJ to the right end portion II of a, guide rail I2 extending llaterally along the front of the machine. The endgate 'I carries a conically pointed stud I3 which together with a conically pointed stud I4, carried by the standard 2, form right and left thrust bearings for a shaft I5 extending laterally of the machine in parallel relation to the guide rail I2. The shaft I5 passes through an oversized hole I8 in the intermediate standard 3, and is provided with a mandrel I'I for removably supporting a cylindrical record I8 to beresurfaced. To mount or remove a record from the mandrel I'I, the endgate 'I is rs't opened to free the right end of the mandrel; during the time the endgate is open the shaft I5 is intermediately supported by the intermediate rstandard 3 and is retained in engagement with the conical stud Ill by the contact of a collar I9, secured to the shaft by a screw I9', with the left vside 'of the intermediate standard 3.

n Parallel to the shaft I5 and guide rail I2 is a rod 20 supported by theleft and right standards 2 and 5. Slidably andtiltably mounted on the rod 20 is a carriage 2| having a sleeve 22 embracing the rod. As shown in Figure 2 the carriage is provided with an arm 23 curved forwardly over the mandrel I'I and terminating in a shoe L23 which normally slidably rests on the guide age to the tool or record. It is an object of-our invention to safeguardl the tool and the record to be resurfaced from damage arising from misoperation of the machine. It is another object of our invention to provide improved means to facilitate the normal operation of the machine. f

It is another object of our'invention to automatically stop the machine as an incident to 'a setting of the tool.

Itis another object of our invention to provide means adapted to prevent the setting of the tool on a'moving record.

Another object of our invention is to provide new and improved meansoperatively connecting ,the resurfacing tool with the control means of use of the machine and to safeguard the machine from damage arising from misuse of the machine. Other and allied objects of our invention Will more fully appear from the following description and the appended claims.

Figure 3 is a fractional top plan View of the inl 15, be. seen a phonograph record resurfacing ma- I rail l2. The carriage is steadily moved or fed in a leftward 4direction across the mandrel (as between start and terminal positions at the right and left ends of the mandrel respectively) by a feed screw 24 rotatably supported by the left and right standards 2 and fi. Secured to the carriage sleeve 22 by the screws 25 is a resilient and rearwardly extending arm 25 carrying a feed.

nut 21 which normally engages the underside of the feed screw. When the carriage arm is tilted upwardly, as until a rearwardly and downwardly extending post 28 impinges against a laterally extending ridge 2S on the base plate (see Figure 2), the feed nut 21 is moved downwardly out of engagement with the feed screw to permit the carriage to be manually moved, at will, across the mandrel. When the carriage arm 23 is, however, resting on the guide rail i2, the feed nut 2 is in engagement with the feed screw 2G to cause the carriage to be fed along the mandrel by the rotation of the feed screw. In order that such feeding of the carriage will occur coincidentally with a rotation of the mandrel, the feed screw is provided with a pulley 3G which is coupled, as by a belt not shown, to a pulley 3l on the mandrel shaft I5. In the operation of the machine the mandrel il' and feed screw 2i! are turned in a clockwise direction, the direction of thread on the feed screw being such as to then cause a leftward feed of the carriage.

On the right side of the carriage there is an extension 32, square-shaped as viewed from the end, which substantially overlies the rod 2D. The extension 32 carries a resurfacing tool 33 comprising a knife blade 35 mounted on a knife bar 35 which is slidably supported by the extension 32 for movement towards and away from the record. The means for setting the resurfacing tool into operative positiona position of the tool in which the knife blade 3d engages the record-and for releasing the same may be of a well known construction such as is disclosed in Brown Patent No. 2,137,383, issued November 22, 1938, and entitled Record shaving machine.

A tool-setting mechanism of the abovementioned type is sufficiently described in the present instance as follows: A cap 36 is slidably mounted on the extension 32, guided by a guide rod 3l,

and coupled to the knife bar 35 by a compression spring 38 coiled about the knife bar between the cap 36 and a shoulder 35 on the knife bar, this coupling serving to yieldably move the knife bar downwardly towards the record when the cap 36 is moved downwardly. When the cap 36 is moved upwardly the top thereof contacts a head 40 on the knife bar 35 to move the knife bar awayfrom the record. The cap 36 is normally held in an upward position and the knifeA bar 35 is thereby normally held in a position free of Vthe record-the inoperative position of the tool-by a compression spring 39 coiled about the guide rod 3l, the inoperative position of the knife bar or tool 33 being defined by the contact of a collar lll on the bar 35 with the underside 32 of the extension 32.v The setting of the tool 33 is controlled by a lever 62 pivote'don the right side of the extension 32 and having a short arm @3 which is coupled to the cap 36 by an angular link M, the link being pivoted to the arm 2k by a pin 45 and to the cap 35 by a pivot screw L55. As the lever is swung forwardly in a counterclockwise direction the cap 35 and knife' bar 35 are moved downwardly, the tool being moved into operative position relative to the record; in

the terminal movement'of the lever a lock 41',

'of the lever.

described in detail in the abovementioned Brown patent, is rendered operative to hold the tool in operative position, thereby completing the setting of the tool. y

Such forward orsetting movement of the lever 42`is limitedto the position; shown in. Figure 2 by the impingement of the link'flli "on the'hub 'l2' When the lever is in this most forward position the pin i5 is slightly past dead center with respect to the pivot axes of the lever i2 and the pivot screw 66. The upward biasing force exerted on the cap 3E then causes the level` l2 to be urged in a counter-clockwise directionthe direction in w'hich the lever 42 is moved to set the tool-but movement of the lever in such direction is prevented by the contact of the link 213 with the hub 42. Thus when the lever d2 reaches such limited position, the lever is releasably held there to maintain the tool in operative position. When the lever 42 is, however, tripped, or moved slightly in a clockwise direction, to return the pin 45-across the deadl center line aforementioned, the lever l2 isreturned and the cap 36 is moved upwardly, as by the spring 39, to render the lock il inoperative and thereafter to return the tool to inoperative position.

In the operation of resurfacing a record the carriage is first moved to bring the tool into a position overlying the record to permitl the setting of the tool. This carriage movement is effected by first tilting the carriage upwardly, to disengage the feed nut from the feed screw and to raise the tool away from the record, and then by manually moving the carriage into the position desired. Then the resurfacing tool is set into operative position, the carriage manually returned to start position, and the machine started to cause mandrel rotation and a feeding of the carriage along the mandrelin a leftward direction. As the carriage is thus fed along the 'mandrel a cut is taken from the record, the cut-away layer-commonly known as shaving chipsbeing carried by a chip-chute 48 downwardly through an opening 8 in the base plate.

The driving means for the machine-the means for feeding the carriage and rotating the mandrel-may comprise a suitable electrical motor (not shown) which may be located beneath the base plate l and may be coupled to a pulley 49 on the mandrel shaft l5 by a belt (not shown) which may pass through`v an opening 5B in the base plate. The starting and stopping of the motor may be controlled by a switch 53, preferably of the single-pole single-throw variety, which is mounted on the underside of the base plate in the front right-hand portion thereof. 'Ihe'switch 53 has a forwardly extending arm 54, pivoted as at 56'; coupled to the arm' 56 is a forwardly extending control lever 55, hereinafter described, which is pivotedto move leftwardly and rightwardly into respective on and off positions (the on position of thevlever being shown in Figure 1) to effect the closing and opening of the switch.

The above described structure and .mechanism are common to record shaving machines heretofore manufactured and used, and form a part of the present invention only in so far as they are related to or combined with other mechanism hereinafter described.

In the use of a record resurfacing machine there may be accidentallyk performed manipulations on the machine which will result in a defective operation of the machine, if not mdamage to the machine and to the record to be resurfaced. For example, an attempt may be made to set the tool while the record is in movement. This may cause considerable damage to the tool and record; in the least it would result in an inaccurate setting of the tool. As a further example, in resetting the tool on a newlymounted record, the carriage may be returned from its terminal position vwhile the tool is yet in its previously set position. If the newly mounted record were of a greater diameter than the previously mounted record, such return of the carriage might result in a scraping of the tool on the record. This scraping would,however, be avoided if the tool were released from its previously set position before the carriage is returned. In accordance with our invention there is provided a new and improved means for facilitating the proper use of the machine, and particularly, in practice, for insuring against possible misoperations as above noted. This means comprises an interconnecting means between the control means for the machine and the resurfacing tool, which interconnecting means is arranged to effect the following results: If the tool is manually released from a set position or if an attempt is made to set the tool on the record, while the machine is in operation, the switch 53 is automatically thrown open to stop the machine; also, if the switch 53 is manually thrown open, while the tool is in a set position, the tool is automatically released from its set position, there being, however, noeffect on the tool by the manual throwing of the switch 53 to closed condition to start the machine. The interconnecting means between the switch 53 and the resurfacing tool is closely related to the means which connects the switch 53 with the control arm 55; this latter means is now described.

The control lever 55 is provided with a vertical shaft 55 which passes through a boss 63 extending downwardly from the base plate. Secured to the "lower end of the shaft 55', by a screw 64, is a forked member 65 having two rearwardly extending armsF-a left arcuately-shaped arm 66 and a right arm 61 (see Figure 3)-of which the arm 66 terminates at a point to the left of the switch arm 54. When the control lever 55 is in its oif position the switch arm 54 is retained in its leftward position-the position resulting in an open condition of the switch 53-by a tension spring 68 which urges the switch arm against a stop pin 69 on the switch. As the control lever 55 is moved leftwardly to on position the switch arm 54 is impinged upon by the arm 66 and thereby moved rightwardly to close the switch 53. When the switch 53 is placed into closed condition it is releasably maintained there by a latch 19 which catches onto the switch arm 54 to hold this arm in its rightward position, the latch 10 being pivoted by a shoulder screw 1| to a boss 12 extending down from the base plate and being biased by a tension spring 13 into operative position defined by the contact of the latch with a stop pin 14 on the base plate.

When the control lever 55 is moved rightwardly into off position the latch 1l] is released from the switch arm 54 to permit the switch arm to be moved leftwardly, as by the spring 68, to elect the opening of the switch. To release the latch 10 there is pivoted on the arm 61 of the member 65, as at 15, a pawl 16. This pawl is urged, by a tension spring 11 connected between the pawl and an ear 65 on the member 65, in a clockwise direction into a position defined by the contact of a stop lug 16 on the pawl with the path described by the pawl 16 in theturning of the member 65 is a lug 18 which is turned down from a forwardly extending arm 19 of a lever 19 which is also pivoted on the shoulder screw 1| directly above the latch 18. The lever 19 has a leftwardly extending arm 19 provided with a lug 86 which is turned down at a point in front of the latch 16. As the control lever 55 is moved to 01T position the pawl 16 impinges against the lug 18 to turn the member 19 in a clockwise direction. This turning of the member 19 causes the latch 16 to be moved, by reason of its contact with the lug 88, into a released or inoperative position, thereby permitting the switch arm 54 to be snapped leftwardly by the spring 68 to effect the opening of the switch 53.

It is to be noted that when the latch 18 is released from the switch arm 54 it is not permitted to snap back into its operativ-e position until the arm 54 nears the end of its leftward travel, the snapping back of the latch being con'- trolled by the contact of a long angular face 10 on the nose of the pawl with the inner vertical edge 54" of the switch arm 54. This is done in order that the lug 18 will not be moved, by the latch 10, back into the path of the pawl 16 until the pawl 16 has been moved past the lug. When the switch is closed the arm 66 encounters the switch arm 54 and moves it rightwardly past the latch 10, the latch then snapping into operative position to releasably maintain the switch in its closed condition; also in the closing of the switch the pawl 16 moves past the lug 18, the pawl being turned against its biasing by its contact with the lug and then snapping back into its biased position.

With the above described mechanism, the machine is stopped by merely releasing the latch 1|) from the switch arm 54. Thus to stop the machine both as an incident to the release of and to the setting of the resurfacing tool, we need only to cause these tool operations to release the latch 18. Reference being had to Figures 2 and 3, it will be seen that the means operatively connecting the latch 10 with the resurfacing tool is of a unitary character, comprising a bar 8| which eX- tends laterally of the machine below the basey Yplate along the rear edge of the opening 48.

The bar 8| is supported at its leftward and rightward ends by a pair of links 82 and 83 respectively pivotally connected to the bar by the pins 82 and 83 and to a pair of bosses 84 and 85 by the screws 84 and 85', the links 82 and 83 thus forming a pair of parallel-motion supports for the bar permitting the bar to move forwardly and rearwardly in parallel relation to the mandrel.

The bar 8| is operatively connected with the latch 16 by means of a link 86 which is pivoted at one end thereof (as at 81) to the arm 19" of the member 19, and at the other end thereof (as at 88) to an arm 89 extending rightwardly from the link 83. The operative connection of the bar 8| to the resurfacing tool is made by means of'a lever 98 (see Figure 2) which is pivoted on the right side of the carriage on a long shoulder screw 9|. The lever 98 comprises a lower vertical por tion 92 which slidably engages a slot 93 extending longitudinally of the bar 8|, a central semi-circular portion 94 curved rearwardly about the longitudinal rod 28 and pivoted at its upper end on the shoulder screw 9| adjacently .of the right side of the carriage, a bail portion 95 extending along the screw 9|, and a pair of arms 96 and 91 respectively extending forwardly and upwardly right edge of the arm 61. Extending into the from-the outer end of thebail portion 95. The arm 96 terminates at a point directly below'the arm 43 of the tool-setting lever 42, while the arm 91 is provided with a cam 98 having upper and lower inclined faces 9B and 98 which extend into the path of a pin 99 carried by an arm |00 4on the tool-setting lever 42.

When the resurfacing tool is in a set position the lever 42 is in a forward position as is shown in Figure 2, the pin 99 being then directly above1 the cam face 98. As the tool-setting lever is moved rearwardly to release the tool the pin 99 impinges against the cam face 99 and thereby moves the lever 99 in a clockwise direction, the pin 99 coming to rest in the position shown in dash-dot lines in Figure 2. As the lever 99 is so moved the bar 8l is moved forwardly because of the engagement of the portion 92 of the lever with the slot 93 in the bar, to cause the member 'IS to be turned in a clockwise direction, this turning of the member T9 causing the latch 'Hl to be released from the switch arm 5t. to permit the opening of the switch by the spring 6B, as heretofore described. As the switch is opened the mechanism coupling the resurfacing tool with the switch is restored to its unoperated position for re-operation, as by the biasing of the latch 19. To prevent an inertia overthrow of this mechanism there is provided a stop ll for limiting the counter-clockwise movement of the member 19.

As the tool-setting lever ft2 is moved forwardly to set the tool into operative position the pin 99 impinges against the lower cam face 98" and thereby again moves the lever 99 in a clockwise direction to cause the latch 79 to be released from the switch arm 54 in the same manner as in the release of the tool. Furthermore, when the switch 53 is manually thrown open by the control lever 55, the member 'I9 is turned, because of the contact of the pawl 75 with the lug 'F8 as heretofore described, to cause a forward movement of the bar 8l and a clockwise movement of the lever 90. If the tool is set when the lever 99 is so moved, the arm 96 of the lever 99 impinges against the underside of the arm d3 of the toolsetting lever l2 to trip the lever 42 from its set position, thereby causing the release of the tool. However, if the switch 53 is manually thrown open while the tool is set, the setting of the tool is not disturbed since the -pawl 'i5 is adapted to move past the lug i8 without turning the member 19, as heretofore described.

Although We have herein shown and described one embodiment of our invention it will be understood that this embodiment is subject to many changes and modifications without departure from the scope of our invention, which we endeavor to express according to the following claims.

We claim:

l. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine having a record support: the combination of a resurfacing tool movable into and out of operative position relative to a record on said support; means for controlling the operation of the machine; and means, controlled by said resurfacing tool, for causing operation of said controlling means b-y the movement of said resurfacing tool into operative position.

2. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine having a record support: the combination of a resurfacing tool settable into operative position relative to a record on said support; control means movable into on and olf positions to start and stop the operation of the machine; and

means,A operated as an incident tothe setting of said tool, for causing said control means to be moved from on to off position.

3. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine having a record support: the combination of a resurfacing tool settable into an operative position relative to a record on said support; a circuit openable and closeable to control the operation of the machine; and means, controlled by said resurfacing tool and rendered effective incidental to the setting of said tool into operative position, for opening said circuit.

4. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine: the combination of a rotatable support for a record to be resurfaced; a resurfacing tool settable into operative position relative to a supported record; controllable rotating means for said record support; and means, operated by said tool as an incident to the act ofY setting the tool, for causing the stopping of said rotating means.

5. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine: the combination of a rotatable support for a record to be resurfaced; a resurfacing 'tool settable into operative position relative to a supported record and releas-able therefrom; control means` operable to start and stop rotation of said record support; and means, operated by said tool both as an incident to the setting of the tool into operative position and to the release of the tool therefrom, for causing operation of said control means to stop rotation cf said record support.

6. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine having a record support: the combination of a resurfacing tool movable into and out of operative position relative to a record on said support; control means having on and off positions, for controlling the operation of the machine; and means, controlled by said tool, for moving said control means to off position bythe movements of said tool into and out of operative position, respectively.

7. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine having a record support: the combination of a resurfacing tool mounted for movement relative to a record on said support; means movable to control the operation of the machine; and a unitary means, operatively connecting said resurfacing tool with said control means, for causing each to be moved as an incident of moving the other.

S. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine having a record support: the combination of a resurfacing tool settable into operative position relative to a record on said support and releasable therefrom; a control switch movable into on`and off positions to start and stop the operation of the machine; and unitary means, operatively connecting said resurfacing tool with said control switch, for causing said control switch to be moved to off position by the release of' said tool and said tool to be released by the moving of said control switch to off position.

9. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine having a record support: the combination of a resurfacing tool settable into operative position relative to a record on said support and releasable therefrom; a switch movable into on and off positions to control the operation of the machine; and means, operatively connecting said resurfacing tool with said control switch, for causing said control switch to be moved to off position by the setting of said tool into operative position and said tool to be released from operative position by the moving of said control switch to off position.

10. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine having a record support: the combination of a resurfacing tool settable into operative posi-l tion relative to a record on said support and releasable therefrom; a control means for the machine movable into on and oi positions; and

means, operatively connecting said resurfacing tool with said control means, for causing said control means to be moved to oi position both by the setting of said tool into operative position and by the release of the tool from operative position and for further causing said toolto be automatically released from operative position as an incident to the moving of said control means to 01T position. K ll. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine having a record support: the combination of a resurfacing tool manipulatable towards and away fromk the record; control means for the machine having on and off positions and biased into off position; a latch for releasably holding said control means in on position; and means, operatively connecting said resurfacing 25 tool with said latch, for causing the unlatching of said control means by a manipulation of said tool. Y

12. In a phonograph record resurfacing machine having a vrecord support: the combination taining said switch in closed condition; and

means for causing the release of said switch from closed condition by the respective manipu- V lations of said resurfacing tool towards' and away from the record. l

13. In a phonograph recordl resurfacing machine having a record suport: the combination of a resurfacing tool manipulated towards and 

